Elections and Voting Behavior

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2American Election Process: Three Types of ElectionsPrimary Elections- voters select party nomineesGeneral Elections- the contest between the candidates from different partiesInitiatives and Referendums- voters engage in making or ratifying legislation at the state level only

3Specific policy electionsMany U.S. states vote on their policiesReferendum- ratifying a policy proposed by the state legislatureInitiative petition- citizens proposing legislation (usually by gaining signatures on a proposed law equal to 1/10 of number of voters in previous election)Recall-removing a state or local official before the end of his or her term

4Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First ChoiceDeciding Whether to VoteLegitimacy- the people’s belief that the government has the right to rulePolitical Efficacy: The belief that one’s political participation really matters.Civic Duty: The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote.

5Registering to VoteIn 1888, West Virginia had 159,000 votes but only 147,000 eligible votersStates adopted voter registration to prevent fraud (North Dakota has no registration)Biggest indicator of voting is voter registrationMotor Voter Act 1993 required states to offer voter registration when citizens obtain their driver’s licenses.Recent proposals would require ID

6Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First ChoiceWho Votes?These factors increase the likelihood of voting:Age (older)Income (higher)Education (higher)MarriageCaucasian (related to income and education)Female (vote slightly more than men)Union MemberGovernment WorkerNorthernerBest predictor is whether someone is registered

7Sample Question Which of these would be most likely to vote?A. a middle-aged professor at a private universityB. a young southerner without a high school diplomaC. a northerner with a high school diploma who is a union memberD. a 63-year-old government worker with a doctorateE. a well-educated senior citizen who used to work for a big corporationAnswer: D

8The Mandate Theory of ElectionsThe Mandate Theory of Elections is the idea that the winning candidate has a mandate (widespread support) from the people to carry out his or her policies.Policy voting is the idea that electoral choices are based on voters’ policy preferences and where the candidate stands on policy issues.Retrospective voting is the idea that incumbents who have provided desired results are rewarded with a new term and those who fail are not reelected. “What have you done for me lately”?

9The Last Battle: The Electoral CollegeElectoral College actually elects the President- founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the countryStates choose the electorsWinner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states battleground states

101800: The First Electoral Transition of PowerNo primaries, no nominating conventions, no candidate speeches, and no entourage of reportersState and local organizations promoted their causesPresidents were excluded from campaigns- seen as undignified for officeNewspapers didn’t care about dignity or honestyFocus was on state legislatures, which chose electorsEach elector cast two votes, and Jefferson tied with Aaron BurrHouse decided electionLed to amendment calling for running mates (12th)This was the first peaceful transfer of power between parties.

11The Last Battle: The Electoral CollegeHow it works today:Each state has as many votes as it does Representatives and Senators.Winner of popular vote typically gets ALL the Electoral College votes.Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January.If no candidate gets 270 votes (a majority), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state getting ONE vote.

122000: ElectionAl Gore wins the popular vote, but Bush wins in the Electoral CollegePresidency decided by FloridaFlorida law mandated recount because a margin of less than 1000Florida Supreme court ruled in favor of the recount requested by Gore(Bush vs. Gore) U.S. Supreme Court rules that if one state is recounted, they all need to be recounted, but there is not enough time remaining.BUSH WINS